


The Uncovering of Little Derek

by Greyescale



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Other, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-11 06:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1169714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greyescale/pseuds/Greyescale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I received the prompt: Mchaleinski with Derek realising exactly how childish Scott and Stiles are? from <a href="http://bigbootsmanofwar.tumblr.com/">Connor</a> and then Derek manpaining with ridiculously sweet Stiles and Scott was born.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Uncovering of Little Derek

“It is a happy talent to know how to play”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

***

Derek knows Stiles and Scott are, at heart, still young and foolish. But he hasn’t been young since before he was fifteen years old. Sure, they had seen things most teenagers shouldn’t ever have to see, but they didn’t know death and strife like Derek does. He knows what it’s like to become an adult long before he should have done so. He knows what it’s like to bury his own sister and become estranged from his last living family members.

Somewhere deep down he thinks maybe that same youth still exists for him, but he has yet to dig it out of the bad memories and pain.

When he watches Scott and Stiles wrestle on Scott’s living room floor, Scott going easy on Stiles, he feels old and like he doesn’t belong there with them. He’s older than his twenty-three years of actual age. His mother always used to tell him he had an old soul...he shouldn’t have ever wanted to be older when he was young.

He sees his boyfriends mess around on video games he doesn’t understand and he watches them complain about something as simple as trigonometry homework. Derek wishes he could worry about a class like trig again.

His heart still feels heavy. Not as heavy as when Kate destroyed his family or when Jennifer turned out to be a crazy druid or not even as heavy as when Stiles was possessed. But still heavy because every night they leave him. They go back to their homes with their mom and dad respectfully and Derek sits alone in his empty loft. He sits and he broods and he doesn’t get enough sleep and they have no idea because they’re not worried anymore, life has been good recently.

Stiles sleeps better and Scott can control his wolf the best now, but Derek. Derek feels alone again. Now Cora comes around the loft sometimes and he finally feels useful, he can tell them what he knows about werewolves, but he’s still not...right.

Stiles had asked a few weeks ago if Derek was okay, but he only smiled and told him “never better”. Which...wasn’t a lie. He has been better now than he was, say...three months ago, but he’s not where he thinks he’s supposed to be.

He watches Scott yip playfully when he’s around Stiles, biting lightly at his neck and showing him the world through a new set of eyes. He sees Stiles realize that the world is beautiful and big and wonderful when Scott takes his hand. He sees them looking around like they’re four years old again.

He feels impossibly old. He feels like Gandalf or Dumbledore. Well loved, but...he just doesn’t belong.

And when he feels like he doesn’t belong he almost wants to leave. Wants to drive away again, come back when he feels normal again, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever feel normal again. Maybe this is his new normal and if it is. Well. It sucks.

***

Scott comes over with Stiles and they mess around shoving each other all over the loft and then dissolving into sweet giggles and even sweeter kisses, like they’re the only two people in the world and Derek watches them. He smiles when Stiles practically falls into Scott to kiss him and Scott just catches him, just like he’s always done.

Some days he thinks he can get away with just watching, but then one of them will drag him in and lay laughing kisses all over his face.

Today is one of those days.

Stiles is the one to pull him in. He grabs Derek’s shirt and leans up on his toes to kiss Derek’s cheek first, smoothing his thumb over Derek’s drawn eyebrows.

“C’mon, sour-wolf,” he scolds. “Smile for us.” Derek cracks a smile grin, looking at Stiles like he has all the solutions in the world and with eyes as wide as his, he thinks he might.

“Yeah, c’mon, Der-Bear, just a little one,” Scott joins in and wraps his arms around Derek from behind. His arms are warm and he keeps huffing little laughs into Derek’s skin.

“I am smiling,” Derek protests, exaggerating his grin just a little more.

“You’re not happy.” Stiles shakes his head. “We know.”

“Yeah, we know,” Scott chimes in. “You don’t _actually_  smile, you pretend to, but you’re still sad, Derek.”

“Which is why,” Stiles begins, “we’re going to make you smile for real again.” He takes Derek’s one hand and Scott takes the other and they lead him to his new-ish couch, at least this one isn’t falling apart.

“Sit,” Scott orders and him and Stiles walk off. They shove each a little on their way out the door and Derek listens for them to head to Stiles’ jeep. They’re walking back upstairs a few minutes later and Derek watches as Scott walks in with Stiles’ DVD player and a few boxes of DVDs and Stiles walks in with various types of candy and junk foods.

“You never have to do this again,” Stiles says from the kitchen where he’s sorting out snacks and unhealthy soft drinks. “But today we’re watching Disney movies and eating like we’re 12 and at a sleepover minus talking about girls, I think your abs can survive a day of that, right?”

Scott fiddles with the DVD player and the TV for a bit before putting Aladdin in and setting it up to play. Stiles returns in a bit with cans of Mountain Dew and packages of Skittles and Twizzlers.

“I also have Reese’s and M&M’s,” he informs Derek before plopping down next to him and handing him a package of Twizzlers. He tucks himself under Derek’s arm and waits for Scott to start the movie.

Once it’s playing Scott sits on Derek’s other side and leans his head against Derek’s shoulder.

Stiles hums along to the various songs and reaches across Derek to steal some of Scott’s Skittles even though he has a perfectly good pack in his own hands.

Derek watches them get too involved in an animated movie to be strictly necessary, but he loves it. He loves every moment of it because their happiness is contagious. He finds himself smiling and even laughing when they perform their own rendition of “I Can Show You the World”.

Sitting on this couch with either of them at his sides and a can of Mountain Dew in one hand with Disney movies playing in front of them, Derek feels young again. He feels like this is just what he needs, what he’s always needed and he realizes something.

Sure, Scott and Stiles are often childish and silly, but they’re pure and they’re hopeful and so far they’ve bounced back from a lot of shit Derek never would have. And they’re perfect for him. They let him see this wonderful world he’s apart of that he lost sight of years ago and honestly. He couldn’t be happier than he is in this one moment. They make him whole and they patch him back up better than he was before when he gets broken and he knows. He knows he’ll do anything in his power to keep them like this, with him and perfect. But right now? He has the opening of the _Lion King_  to sing along to.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey come yell at me to write or prompt me on [tumblr](http://arsebuttock.tumblr.com).


End file.
